


Dinner Date

by MakingPoetry



Series: Albtraum 2.0 [9]
Category: The Covenant (2006)
Genre: Family Dinners, Gen, M/M, Magical Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:46:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25321114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MakingPoetry/pseuds/MakingPoetry
Summary: Chase has a surprise for Tyler. He also manages to get himself invited to Tyler's family dinner.
Relationships: Chase Collins/Tyler Simms
Series: Albtraum 2.0 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813285
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Dinner Date

It was a few days before Tyler saw Chase again. He could only assume that he was spending his time reading over the book, taking whatever information he was looking for from it. There was a lot to take in, and he wasn't really surprised that it took a while to get through it all.

What he _was_ surprised by was Chase walking in while he was in the middle of studying at his desk. He swore he'd locked the door so people _wouldn't_ just waltz in when he was trying to focus, but trust Chase not to respect a lock.

"Here's your book," Chase said, dropping it unceremoniously on Tyler's desk with a loud _thunk_. "Tell Caleb it's been very helpful."

Despite his frustration at being interrupted, Tyler took the book and slid it into his bag so no one else would see it until he returned it to the old house. "Was it?" he asked.

Chase shrugged, inviting himself to sit on Tyler's bed. "The bullshit thing is, it doesn't say anything about stopping the side effects."

"The-oh." Tyler frowned, turning in his chair. "Is that what you were trying to find?"

Chase didn't answer him.

"There isn't a way to stop it. I wouldn't lie to you about that." Caleb had told him he was a bad liar anyway.

"So I'm fucked," Chase said.

Tyler hesitated. "I mean...there _is_ an alternative," he reminded Chase.

Chase made a face at him. "I think it's a little late for that."

"It's never too late," Tyler said, trying to be reassuring.

Chase raised an eyebrow. "You don't understand how easy it is to Use," he said. And how hard it was to stop.

Sighing, Tyler went over to sit next to Chase. "You could always try not Using so much."

Chase leaned in to kiss him, murmuring, "I'd rather do this instead."

Kissing wasn't going to solve Chase's problems, but Tyler had to admit this was pretty nice. He leaned into it, raising a hand to Chase's shoulder. 

In his pocket, his phone started ringing. Tyler groaned, and Chase didn't seem inclined to stop kissing him, but after a moment he pulled away, fishing his phone out of his pocket.

"Hi, mom," he said.

Chase, completely unbothered by this, focused on kissing Tyler's neck.

"I'm doing well," Tyler said, doing his best to ignore Chase, which was a task easier said than done. "Classes are going good."

Chase rested a hand on Tyler's knee, slowly sliding it higher while Tyler talked. Tyler's back tensed, but he didn't react otherwise.

"I can't Friday, I'm going to the movies with Reid."

Smirking against his neck, Chase stroked his thigh, hand steadily creeping higher-

"Saturday?" Tyler inhaled sharply, grabbing Chase's hand a split second before he could make contact with his groin. " _Chase_ ," he hissed, pulling the phone away for a moment. He was already blushing; he didn't need a boner while talking to his mom.

Clearing his throat while Chase laughed, Tyler continued, "I can be there for dinner on Saturday, yeah. What? Yeah, I'm with a friend." He shot Chase a _look_.

The next moment, Tyler looked vaguely alarmed. "No, he can't come, he's busy."

"I'd love to come to dinner, Mrs Simms," Chase said, loud enough for Tyler's mom to hear him.

"Mom! I-" Tyler sighed, feeling a sense of dread wash over him. "Alright, we'll be there at six."

After he hung up, he shifted to stare at Chase, finally letting go of his hand. "Why did you do that?"

"What, I can't meet your mom?" Chase said, feigning indignation.

"No!" He wasn't trying to be mean, but he wasn't happy about the idea of Chase being around his mom.

"Why not? I'm not going to _do_ anything."

Tyler took a deep breath. "On Saturday, you're not going to talk about magic. Not even once. And you're not going to say a word about us dating. The less my mom knows about my love life, the better." Mostly because he didn't think she'd understand what he had going on.

"I'll be on my best behavior," Chase promised, kissing him. "By the way, how do you feel about tattoos?"

Tyler frowned. "Why?" he asked warily.

"I want to try something," Chase said.

"Is it permanent?"

"Not if you don't like it."

"I guess I can give it a try? What it is?"

"It's a surprise," Chase said, smirking. "You like it when I Use on you."

A blush dusted Tyler's cheeks. "Yeah..."

Chase pulled him into another kiss before easing him onto his side on the bed. Tyler's blush darkened as Chase undid his pants enough to tug them down off one hip.

"I'm not sure about this," Tyler said.

"If you don't like it, I'll undo it," Chase said. It was as close to reassuring as Tyler'd seen him, so far.

Tyler nodded. "Alright."

"Also, this might hurt," Chase added, his eyes darkening to black.

That didn't instill Tyler with confidence, but he didn't complain--yet. Chase traced his fingers over Tyler's bare hip, and Tyler felt his Power spreading over his skin. The Power concentrated, flowing from Chase's fingertips. It sank into Tyler's sink, sharp and burning. The pain took his breath away, and he hissed through gritted teeth.

"Chase-"

"Shhh, it'll be over soon."

Subconsciously, Tyler squirmed, but Chase Used to pin him in place, so he could continue his work. 'Might hurt' had been an understatement, and Tyler _really_ didn't like what was going on. Dark marks started forming on his skin where Chase touched him, black and solid like ink, and before too long they started making the shape of a pentagram, simple in design but not actually simple at all.

Just when the pain was becoming overwhelming, Chase was done. The burning sensation stopped getting worse and quickly started to fade, soon becoming a dull throb. Chase released Tyler from his hold, letting him relax on the bed and catch his breath. Before too long, the mark didn't hurt at all.

Eyes fading back to normal, Chase brushed his fingers over the mark. It was a simple touch, but the contact made Tyler shiver, a soft, startled sound escaping his lips. _Pleasure_ spread from the tattoo, mild but impossible not to notice. Confused and unsure still, Tyler looked over at Chase.

"Do you like it?" Chase asked, pressing his fingers more firmly against the mark.

Tyler's pleasure doubled, and so did his blush. "It's, uh, it's..." It sure was something, that was for sure. "It's not going to be like that _all_ the time, is it?"

Chase shook his head. "It needs skin on skin contact," he said. He wasn't _that_ cruel.

"That's a relief," Tyler said. "You know, the guys are going to ask questions about this."

Chase shrugged. "Let them? It's not hurting you."

Tyler couldn't really argue with that, but he was sure _somebody_ would have complaints. Reid would probably be the first, but not the last.

Putting his hand over Chase's, Tyler pulled him in for another kiss.

\-----

The very next day after swim practice, Reid approached Tyler in the locker room, catching him before he had a chance to get dressed.

"What is _that_?" he asked. "Why didn't you tell me you got a tattoo?"

Tyler hesitated, hurrying to pull on his clothes. "Chase gave it to me," he said.

Reid's eyes narrowed. " _Chase_ gave you a tattoo?"

"It's enchanted," Tyler said, keeping his voice down, "It's fine."

"It is _not_ fine," Reid retorted.

"What's going on?" Caleb said, noticing Reid's tense body language and coming over.

Reid yanked down the side of Tyler's boxers.

"Reid! Come on, man," Tyler protested.

"Chase did this," Reid said.

Caleb frowned. He could feel the magic in the tattoo, and reached out to touch it gently. Immediately, Tyler shivered, swatting everyone's hands away so he could pull his boxers back up. Caleb raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Don't look at me like that," Tyler muttered, blushing. "It's a sexual thing."

"First you let him choke you, now he gives you a fuck tattoo," Reid said, "You're a kinky bitch."

Tyler blushed all the way down his neck. " _Reid!_ " He knew Reid was probably more jealous than anything, but he had a knack for embarrassing Tyler.

"Knock it off," Caleb said to Reid, returning his attention to Tyler. "Chase didn't force you into that, did he?"

"No." Tyler shook his head, pulling on his shirt. "And it's not permanent." He guessed. That's what Chase had said, at least.

"So long as you're sure about things," Caleb said, patting Tyler on the shoulder.

"I am." That was mostly the truth. He hadn't been so sure at first, but Chase had managed to _convince_ him about this one.

\-----

Saturday came around faster than Tyler would have liked. Friday night at the movies was a nice distraction, and he had a good time with Reid despite the blonde still being a little pissy about his new tattoo from Chase. He'd at least managed to put that aside for the two hours of the movie.

Tyler was a bundle of nerves. Having dinner at home was a normal thing, he did it all the time. If it wouldn't have been more trouble than it was worth, he would've just not picked up Chase. His mother could _not_ find out who Chase really was. The whole 'yeah, he tried to kill Caleb and threatened to kill all of us but now we're dating' thing really wouldn't go over well.

He flexed his hands on the steering wheel as he drove, glancing over at Chase. Chase had put more effort into dressing nicely for dinner than Tyler had, but Tyler didn't have to impress his own mother. Then again, Chase didn't have to impress her either, he just had to not embarrass Tyler.

"Remember," he said, pulling into the driveway, "No talking about magic."

"Relax," Chase said, reaching over to squeeze Tyler's shoulder. "Everything'll be fine."

Tyler took a deep breath. He was used to Reid coming to dinner with him, and Reid always put him at ease--when he wasn't being a jerk.

Parking the car, Tyler glanced over at Chase again. Reaching out, he snagged his hand, holding on for a moment. He couldn't tell if Chase minded or not, but he didn't pull away until Tyler did, so he must not have been too bothered. Pulling away, Tyler opened the door and slid out.

The walk to the front door was short, and Tyler unlocked it once they reached it, stepping inside. "Mom?" he called.

After a moment, his mother emerged from the direction of the kitchen, smiling warmly. She was an attractive woman in her forties, with dark hair and blue eyes. The family resemblance between her and Tyler was strong.

"Tyler, it's good to see you," she said, wrapping him up in a hug.

"It's good to see you too, mom," Tyler said, and when he was free from the hug he added, "This is Chase."

Chase smiled, all charm, as he shook Tyler's mother's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Simms," he said.

Delighted, Tyler's mother said, "Please, call me Rosalind."

"Of course," Chase said. "Will Mr Simms be joining us?"

Rosalind's face fell, and she glanced at Tyler for a moment. "Tyler didn't tell you? His father passed when he was fourteen."

"I'm so sorry; I had no idea," Chase said, sounding as sincere as Tyler had ever heard him.

"It's alright. Tyler doesn't like to talk about it; I'm not surprised he didn't bring it up," Rosalind said.

"Sorry," Tyler murmured. His mother was right; he didn't like talking about it and he'd seen no reason to bring it up with Chase.

"Shall we eat?" Rosalind suggested, brightening again. "I made lasagna."

"Sounds good, mom," Tyler said.

Their dining room was far too large for just three people, the table more suited for a party of at least a dozen. It felt way too formal, and it was part of why Tyler only came home to eat every now and then instead of more often.

All throughout dinner, he had to watch Chase charm his mother, saying all of the right things, making her laugh. He almost felt a little jealous, which was ridiculous because it wasn't like he needed to compete with _Chase_ for his mother's attention.

Every now and then, he'd catch Chase's eye and Chase would smile, occasionally reaching over to pat his knee under the table. True to his word though, he was on his best behavior, and Tyler had nothing to actually complain about.

"Dinner was delicious," Chase said when everything was done and they'd finished dessert, "Do you need any help cleaning up?"

Rosalind laughed. "Oh no, dear, I'll be fine, but thank you for offering. Tyler _never_ offers."

"Mom!" He totally offered...sometimes. "If you don't need any help," he added, shooting a look at Chase, "We should probably get going."

"So soon?"

It wasn't really that soon at all, in Tyler's opinion.

"Oh well, you know I can't keep you," Rosalind said.

She walked them to the door, giving each of them a hug--and Tyler a kiss on the forehead.

"Take care of yourself," she said. "And don't neglect your school work."

"I will, and I won't," Tyler said.

"The same goes for you," Rosalind said to Chase, "You're welcome to join us for dinner any time you like."

"Thank you, Rosalind, I'll be sure to stop by in the future," Chase said, slinging an arm around Tyler's shoulders.

Tyler mustered a smile, nodding. He'd never expected this evening to end with Chase having an open invitation to family dinners. He guessed it was better than the alternative, but still. He steered Chase out the door, sighing with relief when he was finally back in his Hummer.

"Your mom's hot," Chase said, after the doors were shut.

"Please don't," Tyler said, mortified.

Chase laughed, shrugging. "I'm just saying."

"Well, _just_ keep it to yourself," Tyler said, starting the engine.

Chase did just that. For about five minutes. And then-

"So, your father. Is he really dead?"

Tyler's hands tightened on the steering wheel. That was a fucked up question, but he understood why Chase was asking. Was Tyler's dad dead, or was he a bitter old man who'd Used his life away, like Caleb's had.

"Yeah, he is," Tyler said.

Chase didn't respond for a minute. "I guess we have something in common," he said.

"What, dead fathers? That's a terrible thing to have in common," Tyler replied.

"For you, anyway."

Tyler frowned. He hesitated, glancing over. "You never knew him...your dad?"

"Nope. And the bastard never even tried to find me sooner," Chase said.

"Did he know? That he had a son?" Tyler asked.

"Of course he did. He just didn't want anything to do with me," Chase said bitterly.

"I'm sorry," Tyler said. 

He couldn't imagine growing up not knowing his family, not knowing what his Power was. He knew it would be hard though, and no one deserved to go through it. How much would things have been different if Chase's family had been brought back into the Covenant? They couldn't have _all_ been terrible people, right? Tyler refused to judge someone based on what their ancestors did.

"You really care, don't you?"

Tyler glanced over, confused. "Why wouldn't I?" They might not be madly in love with each other, but they were...something, and maybe Tyler was too soft, maybe he cared about people too easily, but he couldn't say he _didn't_ care about Chase.

"You know exactly why," Chase said.

"Look. You don't hurt anyone I care about," or anyone at all, preferably, "and we don't have any problems." He still had mixed feelings about everything else Chase had done, but if things were different now...Tyler could live with the way things were.

"Is it really that easy?"

"I just said it, didn't I?"

"Alright." Chase knew when to argue and when to let things go, and if Tyler said it was that easy...he'd believe it.

If only everything else could be that simple.


End file.
